Ship Combat
Space Combat in Endless Space 2 is controlled through decisions made before each battle and then resolved without player intervention. This ensures that battles yield the same results whether a player chooses to watch the battle or not, and allows the battle animation to focus on action more than information, though more informative views are available. Battle Tactics Battle Tactics determine the behavior of your ships in combat. Each Battle Tactic offers up to three flotillas you can assign your ships to, each with their own prefered range, as well as a modifier to your fleet or the battle. You can only keep a limited number of all your known Battle Tactics ready at the same time, which can be changed from the Battle Tactics menu accessed through the Military Screen. Additional slots for Battle Tactics as well as new Tactics can be unlocked through research, though Battle Tactics can also be gained from Curiosities or Hero Skills. (TBD: Add Sreenshot)) To select a Battle Tactic, use the right and left arrows next to the Battle Tactic displayed at the center of the combat window. On this card you can see a representation of the prefered ranges of each flotilla, as well as the bonus granted by the Battle Tactic. As your fleets get bigger, you unlock access to additional flotillas, with 5 Command Points and at least 2 ships unlocking the top lane and 10 Command Points and at least 3 ships unlocking the bottom lane. The game automatically distributes your ships across as many flotillas are are available to you, based on their range profile. You can also inspect enemy ships by hovering your mouse cursor above them. The "Watch" toggle at the bottom of the screen determines whether you will be shown the combat cinematic. Start the battle by clicking Launch, or enter the advanced combat menu to access more detailed information and manually assign your ships. (TBD: Add Screenshot) (TBD: Advanced Battle Screen) Flotillas, Phases, and Ranges Each flotilla will primarily engage the enemy flotilla directly opposing it, but may fire at adjacent enemy flotillas. Within each flotilla pair, the preferred ranges of the opposing flotillas determine the ranges at which they will engage in the different phases, shown in the table below, as well as the paths they take. Fire at targets of opportunity in other flotillas is always resolved at long range, however. Each weapon in Endless Space 2 has a range profile divided into Short, Medium, and Long range, with the Efficiency shown being equivalent to their base chance to hit at that range. If one side in a battle has more flotillas than the other at any point of the battle, they receive a Morale bonus of +5% Accuracy and +10% Damage per unopposed flotilla. Attack Resolution (TBD: Combat Mechanics) Hit roll, Evasion, Critical Hits, Defenses, Shields, Flotilla Shields Modules Weapons There are 7 weapon types available in Endless Space 2, loosely grouped into Projectile Weapons and Energy Weapons, corresponding to the two defense types. In addition to the basic weapons, strike craft and high-yield explosive weapons can be fielded. Most modules are unlocked through research, though they can also be rewarded for exploring curiosities or finishing quests. Slugs Rapid-fire, high-velocity kinetic projectiles that are most effective at close range and easily penetrate shields, but struggle against plating. They also come with Flak to defend against incoming missiles and strike craft. * United Empire Only Railguns Sacrificing firing rate for heavier projectiles, Railguns are capable of smashing through any defenses. All railguns ignore enemy Projectile Defense and Energy Defense completely. * Chitinous Alloys for Cravers Missiles Guided, rocket-propelled projectiles with explosive payloads which penetrate shields but do not deal much damage against plating and are susceptible to flak. Swarm Missiles Firing many small missiles in quick succession, swarm missiles are designed to overwhelm enemy flak. Boarding Pods (Vaulters DLC) Disposable armored craft that slam into the enemy hull to deliver their deadly cargo: A trained boarding party. After hitting the enemy, they will deal damage to their manpower for 10 seconds, and if the enemy ship's Manpower reaches 0, it will be disabled immediately and you gain control of it after the battle. * Vaulters Only Lasers Bolts of plasma best used at medium range to melt hull plating, though they are less effective against shields. * Vodyani Only Beams Powerful beams of light that operate at peak efficiency at any range and cut easily through armor, but are dispersed by shields. * Riftborn Only Fighters and Bombers Bombers can engage targets at great distance and are especially effective against the largest ships, while fighters are equipped to intercept and destroy incoming bombers. (TBD: Detailed Explanation) (TBD: Squadron Tables) Defenses Plating Plating offers moderate Projectile Defense, primarily effective against Slugs and Missiles, and small amounts of Health to ships on which they are equipped. (Defense Infoboxes TBD) Shields Shields offer a large amount of Energy Defense, used primarily against energy weapons, but any damage they absorb are deducted from their Shield Capacity, and will stop providing any defense once this buffer runs out. (Defense Infoboxes TBD) Flak Flak is secondary function of Slug weapons, and is capable of shooting down incoming missiles as well as attacking Fighters and Bombers. Evasion Evasion mitigates damage by making your ships harder to hit. Any shot taken by the enemy subtracts your ships Evasion value from their accuracy, to a minimum of 5% accuracy. Evasion can be gained from Battle Tactics, Engines, and Antimatter Shields. Note: In some tooltips this is referred to as Dodge Chance. Support Modules Ship Roles While roles give some idea of what different hull types are good at, they also restrict access to specialised modules, provide small bonuses and determine the targeting priority of ships during combat. Battle Report TBD: Battle Report windowCategory:Tutorials Category:Game Systems